i'll be your mind (i'll fall by your side)
by metalbent7
Summary: Alex, Maggie, and Kara save the world. Sometimes saving the world takes the piss outta them. Sanvers and Superfam fluff, angst, general goodness. Some chapters are action-based, some chapters are character studies, most chapters are gay af. First Supergirl fic.
1. sleep hurt

Notes at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 1

Work had been rough.

Maggie had successfully peeled herself from the pool table at the bar, and was currently sitting at the kitchen counter, swirling a shotglass absently. She wasn't doing anything but wasting money on $6 beer when she could get tipsy for free at Alex's place. Maggie did not allow herself to keep anything but beer and the occasional wine bottle at her own place, so when Alex handed over the keys last month, she made sure to ask about shared use. Her girlfriend just shrugged and told her to practice good judgment. "I trust you. Just don't drink the Bacardi. I saw what happened after you did those dumbass competitive shots with J'onn at the bar that one time. I know rum makes you sicker than most."

Alex trusted her. The DEO's smartest, sexiest supernerd trusted her. Maggie shook her head as she took down a generous shot of scotch. How was that even possible?When she was such a fuckup, how could that trust be possible?

She grunted, closed her eyes, tried to focus in on the image of Alex last Sunday morning. The angel'd woken up and immediately turned towards Maggie, sun beams alighting on her legs and stomach, small contented sigh on her lips. And all at once, all over again, Maggie was just so in love.

Alex coming through the door wearing those smart jackets and ass-gripping blue jeans and she was so in love.

Alex flopping her left arm into Maggie's face when she shrugged and tossed and turned in sleep, and she was so in love.

Alex meeting her eyes, mischief and flush tickling her sultry smile, as she leans over the pool table, scores three shots, downs her beer, exposes her breasts ever so slightly, says, croons, "Hey Sawyer, wanna come top me off?" and she was So. In. Love.

It was getting fucking ridiculous. So she worried. She's seen it get fucking ridiculous before – really great sex, really close bond, and then one really bad night and Maggie goes and breaks the beautiful girl's heart.

And why?..

Rotten person, perhaps. Something happened before, made her not good. Or, simpler, not worthy. Certainly not anything like the woman she was head over boots for.

Alex could kiss those thoughts away for a bit, but as with any habitually negative introspection, it was bound to resurface, to suffocate Maggie, tear up her cuticles and grind down her teeth.

So she swung a second shot into her mouth, clenching her jaw at the burn, celebrating to the goddamn bitterness that refused to let her quit.

Maggie sighed and settled onto the couch. The down mood sank into her like sour wine, hurting her mouth and her chest. Her throat was thick and her skin tight. She felt embarrassed, unworthy, unworthy. And she felt that if she could just be small in Alex's arms she'd feel loved, loved, loved. And she felt that she was losing sight of that fast.

Either way, Alex would be coming home any time, and hopefully soon, and she wasn't gonna drink any more of her excellent scotch without asking first. "Stop drinkin' Mags," she slurred to herself. "Already three beers at the other place. I didn't drink yesterday or Tuesday, maybe lower tolerance." She rolled her eyes at her voice, but stomached it, taking care of herself with a practiced iron grip.

Maggie scribbled a note on the bottle and left it on the counter:

SORRY. FEELIN WEIRD. KINDA DRUNK. NO SLEEP OTHERWISE U KNO?  
MAYBE NONVERBAL LATER. SORRY ):

LOVE U XO  
\- SAWYER

ON COUCH BTW

They'd both started to communicate more about their drinking habits, the thick and thin of it - mostly how on bad days it was all that got either of them to sleep at night. To afford to close their eyes. To feel worthy of rest, to will the sharp slow pain of bruises and scarring away.

Hyper-vigilance kept Alex's hands flitting, tossing and turning, mumbling about Kara and Jeremiah and J'onn in her sleep. The fierce protectiveness she had for her family even in her unconscious swarmed Maggie with love, scared Maggie, taught Maggie to treat her so gently whenever she was finally able to turn to her for comfort.

And for Maggie, it was different. The worst thing was feeling like she hadn't done enough that day. Hadn't been able to act faster, hadn't been thinking faster on her feet. If she'd gotten knocked around her pride would be wounded, but the worst was walking off mostly or wholly unscathed with the nagging feeling that she should have done more. That if she'd worked hard enough, if she'd done and been enough, she'd have the scars to prove it.

Maggie drew in a sigh and closed her eyes. Pain radiated from her shoulders. Damn alcohol did shit for physical relief. She cursed at nothing and bit into her bottom lip. _Alex, Alex, Alex. Alex, please come home._

Her phone from somewhere in the kitchen. Maggie groaned. She had to check.

It was Kara. More specifically, it was a snapchat from Mon-El of one grinning Little Danvers holding what Maggie could make out to be a cake in the shape of an 'S'.

Maggie's lower lip trembled. She wanted to smile, but a strangled sound escaped her throat instead. She took a step backward, slipping ungracefully onto a counter seat, tilting her head into her hands. She could feel the world distancing, feel herself getting smaller, stranger, alone alone alone.

And then a key turned in a lock, and Maggie could feel her in the room. Green eyes furrowing, narrowing slightly, tired and crinkled and full of love.

"Hey, Maggie. What's up, baby?"

Maggie shook her head, wiping her thumb over the note. "Alex," she whispered. "Sorry." Waits quietly, miserably.

Alex read the note, biting her bottom lip, furrowing her brow at the inebriated scrawl. And then she gave Maggie the gentlest, sweetest look. "You have nothing to apologize about. Nod if I can come hold you, okay? That's what I want to do."

Maggie nodded. Hiccuped. Alex's arms around her and she felt so much safer, and she felt so much less alone.

"Y'know, this is... not the couch, Sawyer," Alex pointed out after a long warm moment. Maggie snorted and then blinked, surprised at herself. A small smile appeared on her lips. And Alex grinned like a dork. "Aw, hey, glad that worked."

"I know it's not the couch, dork," Maggie replied. "My phone buzzed, wanted to see if it was your ETA or something." She sighed, turned away slightly. Dark-eyed. "I had a rough day and I was spiraling, and I just - I kept thinking of you and the wonderful things you say, but they're the best when you say them. When I tell myself encouraging, self-supporting shit, it comes off as a lie." Maggie grunted. "Guess I'm not nonverbal. Least there's that."

Alex nodded, considering Maggie's words. "I hear you, babe. For the record I think everything you did to respond was the right thing to do."

"What, sit around, drink like a damn fool and wait for my girlfriend to coddle me better?"

Alex stepped backwards, her eyes slightly downcast, gauging Maggie's tone. Maggie bit her tongue. "No, no, Alex, I'm sorry. I'm just - I have no idea... how to be taken care of. It's so hard to feel, but if I went numb I wouldn't... I couldn't..." She swallowed helplessly, repeatedly. "I'm so tired, Ally. I don't wanna talk."

"I know." Alex rubbed her shoulders, dropped a kiss on her head. "I'm gonna put this away and then we can go curl up and watch something dumb. I'm tired too."

Maggie didn't want to talk, and Alex wasn't forcing her. She wasn't even slightly annoyed. She hummed in the back of her throat, compartmentalizing, packing it away for later.

* * *

"One more thing, Mags?"

"Yeah?" Her voice sounded less rough. They were both on the couch now, Alex's head in Maggie's lap. The detective just loved to hold her agent after any sort of day. That was all she really wanted most of the time. Which, again, was fucking ridiculous. But there was nothing in her mind to question whether it was right. She knew Alex was hers.

"You, um... Did you get hurt today? Is there some injury? Because occasionally I hide that from you and I don't know if you hide it from me, and I wanted to check if I could get you ice or aspirin or stitches..."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "You're the one with the insane pain tolerance. I'm not that good at it. If I were hurt you'd know." She sighed a little too deeply. "I carry it in the eyes, besides."

"Well, yeah, anyone in pain carries it somewhere. There's gotta be a weak spot. I carry it in the eyes too, or the shoulders. When I hide it I just sit up a little straighter and don't look at you as much."

Maggie shook her head. "Not everyone has a weak spot," she mumbled, more to herself than her girlfriend. Alex reached up to thumb the side of her mouth, something that made Maggie purr contentedly every time. But Maggie turned away. "Sorry, Ally, I'm still a little miserable I guess. This is nice though. I just... don't want the face-touches. I don't feel like I deserve them so my brain yells at me, and it's loud, and it hurts."

Alex gave her a knowing look. "Well, you deserve me. And regardless of whoever believes that or not, it's true and I'm here. You deserve to feel okay, Mags." She paused, her voice thickened. "You deserve to rest, too, okay? To not work for a minute. Jeez, people I love just don't understand that."

"Hey, something on your mind?"

"It's just been so hard, today, to get Kara to understand that she can stop flying around and saving the world for a minute. She was on a 45-hour-I-have-to-be-everywhere-at-once bender and she just wouldn't rest or take 2 minutes until I grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled 'STOP!' Girl is a handful." Alex sighed deeply and ran soft fingers through Maggie's hair. "This okay?"

Maggie smiled. "Comin' from you? Always." She paused thoughtfully. "Little Danvers and I have some of the same issues, I see."

"Yeah, well, I love both of you deeply and irrationally, so I guess I'm stuck having to tell you all the time. And tuck slash wrestle you both into bed." Alex rolled her eyes. " _You are both heroes_. You don't have to get knocked out or get all your ribs fractured for anyone to know it. Seriously. Today I bought Kara a cheesecake shaped into the S insignia just to make her smile. I can get you a cheesecake too. Mon-El is my errand boy for pastries, it seems."

"I don't eat much cheese. Or cake."

Alex shuddered. "I can get you a... vegan cheesecake?"

Maggie laughed. "Don't worry, you don't need to find me the one vegan cheesecake that actually tastes good. It's back in Gotham, besides."

A brief faraway look piqued Alex's interest, and she nudged Maggie's ribs, prompting her to continue.

"Okay, yeah... that's what kinda caused the tail end of that little breakdown before. Mon-El sent me a photo of Kara, grinning like a million dollars, cheesecake in hand. That was cute shit you did there, Danvers."

Alex bit her lip, smiling, then frowning. "What do you mean, caused the breakdown...?"

"No, no, it was just the timing. I wanted it to be from you, the message, but it was of happy Little Danvers instead, and I felt a lot of things and then I was crying."

"Oh." Alex nuzzled closer into her, murmuring low in her throat. "Well, I'm here, Maggie. You know I got you."

Maggie nodded. "I know. I got you too, babygirl." She paused. "Wanna stop the movie and make out now?"

Alex pulled her down, kissing her sweetly, fiercely, tangling her in a mess of amazing Alex limbs. "There is nothing I want more."

* * *

Thanks for reading my condensed gay heart. Also, if you're not a fan of Daxam boy, this fic has minor Mon-El/Kara AND minor Supercorp. Kara has Feelings and is also probably demisexual but doesn't know that word yet! We'll check in with her about it in the not so distant future. Also, I'm a stressed college person so y'all are gonna be patient w me as I squeeze this writing out amongst stacks of final papers. Fic updates Sundays and Thursdays.  
~ M


	2. the girl Maggie wants to kiss

Hey, apologies for the delay. I swear I was about to press that submit button last night around 8pm EST, and then a big windstorm hit my rural college town and created upwards of 1100 power outages in my county and the next one over. Please enjoy the sneak peek of the 3rd chapter I've posted below, and hit that review button if you have something to say! It means a lot when you do.

So I wanted to write a fic where Alex, Maggie, and Kara are doing some top secret DEO stakeout stuff, and an accident happens. This is the tail end of that fic. Sometimes shorter is sweeter. (Also, I'm better at dialogue than plot.)

This is some fluffy shit you're about to read.

* * *

Chapter 2

It was loud. Too, too loud. Loud and loud and Kara was forgetting how to breathe in it.

The crash. Sweeping Alex into her arms without question, without thought. Zooming in on Maggie, still running below them, making sure she was safe.

And then a terrific weight slamming into the back of her head.

And then nothing.

And then she woke up next to Maggie, arm hanging limply, shoulder bent and dislocated at the oddest angle, but Kara pressed her fingers to her neck and she was alive, alive, alive.

But then the reverbs started.

Maybe something else happened, after that. She didn't know. She was on her knees. She was screaming. She didn't know for how long she'd been on her knees or how long she'd been screaming. She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She didn't know! Where was Alex's heartbeat?! She had to know!

Kara roared. "ALEX!"

And, like the miracle that she was, Alex arrived.

Alex running towards her. Alex falling to her knees. Alex pulling Maggie into her arms, quickly checking for her pulse, mumbling both their names in a hoarse whisper. Kara's vision swam. She could see Alex, but it was still so loud, and she didn't know where she was anymore. "Alex... Alex..." she whined. "Maggie's... o-okay, Mag -" she gasped, cut off, feeling the earth again, angrily, terribly, shaking her heart. She couldn't hear right. She didn't know how to breathe.

"Kara, Kara, I've got you," Alex was saying now, shushing her, pulling her close. "You're alright, Kara. Listen to my voice, sweet girl." One hand remained at Maggie's heart, one hand scooped her little sister into her side. "Listen to my heartbeat. I'm okay, Maggie's okay. We're okay now, it's over." Her hair matted and sweat-swept, clinging messily to her forehead. Her face flush and bleeding from a few fresh cuts. And she was okay. She was breathing.

Kara reeled, clinging to Alex, anchoring herself in all that familiar scent. Blood, sweat, cinnamon, home, home, home. She gasped, cried, burrowed into her big sister. "Alex."

Alex nodded, unable to say anything more in return. Her heart hurt. The shock of it. The swell of gratitude when Maggie's heartbeat was steady and thrumming and alive, alive underneath her fingers.

Maggie, her best girl. Kara, her baby sister. Alive with her.

"We're okay," she repeated. "We're okay now."

Exhausted, she slumped into Kara, let her eyes close. Her fist was curled loosely into her girlfriend's chest, and her last brief thought was about a dog named Gertrude.

* * *

Maggie blinked awake. Time was slow. Pain echoed hard and wide in her chest and shoulders.

Ally - where was she?

* * *

"Hey, wake up sleepyface."

Alex blinked awake, groaning at the light. What was she sprawled over? So warm, humming and - _humming_?

"Kara, oh my god, are you alright? Did I pass out on top of you?"

Kara smiled sleepily. "I healed in the sun. You were so comfy. Reminded me of cuddling when we were little kids. You'd always manage to flop most of your body onto me." She gave Alex a lopsided look. "Maggie's awake. Her pulse is still steady."

Alex burst out laughing. Except she was crying. Except she felt Maggie's warm hand around her and then she was sobbing, sobbing with relief.

"Hey Danvers, hey li'l Danvers," Maggie slurred softly. "My girls."

"H-hi. I love you."

Maggie smiled. "I love you too." She reached up and pressed a thumb to the corner of Alex's mouth and her heart slowed to meet her girlfriend's almost instantly. Her Alex. Soft, wonderful, puffy-eyed Alex. "Need a tissue there?"

Alex tried and failed to scowl, and then buried her face into Maggie's chest. "I just, I needed you to know right away. I love you so much, Mags."

"God, you sap. I'm gonna marry you someday for sure."

Kara snapped to attention, a surprised sound rumbling from her throat.

And Alex just stared.

"You... you're gonna marry me someday?"

Maggie short-circuited, stumbling over everything she'd ever said. She paused. Steadied herself. Felt Alex's hand in her own. "You know you got me, Danvers."

Alex's head whooshed with the sound of happiness and Maggie and sunlight. So much love all at once and she was full to bursting.

"Yeah?" Maggie prompted.

Alex could feel Kara'a eyes and smile practically burning a hole into the back of her bulletproof vest. She could feel Maggie's eyes, too, so sincere and so brown that they turned gold in the morning light.

She realized that the most beautiful woman in the world was proposing to marry her someday. And she swooned.

"Yeah, I'm gonna marry you someday too."

And then they were 200 feet above ground, enveloped in the steel arms of a Kryptonian positively overwhelmed in the presence of so much love.

"KARA L. DANVERS, PUT ME DOWN RIGHT-

"Kara, this is unreasonable, you should ask first-

"I SWEAR TO GOD OR RAO OR THE FREAKIN SUN IF YOU DO NOT PUT ME DOWN RI-

"SORRY I'm sorry I'm so EXCITED I'm so happy this is the Best Day! This is crazy I was dying three seconds or hours ago and now you're practically married! You gave Maggie a key like what, like MONTHS ago, like two weeks after you two started dating practically, which is gross, to be honest, and now you're gonna get MARRIED? Maggie has a key, and Alex has Maggie, oh that's great, should I tell someone? Who do I tell? I have to tell someone something! OH I know, I'm gonna call Winn and James AND LENA at the same time! NO! J'ONN! What am I thinking? Wait should I call Mon-El? Hmm he is my boyfriend right, I'll call him! Is he working? Who cares! I'll call him."

Kara, sweetie, you've gone a bit mad," Alex said.

"Yep. Uh. Can I tell anyone? Sorry. I'm not... thinking before I leap." Kara paused. "You really should call Eliza though, because I am certain with a little effort I can magnify my voice so loud, everyone here to Kansas will know about the engagement of the millennium."

Maggie rolled her eyes and pulled her into a hug. "How about we get our bruised asses to the DEO first, okay? I know for a fact Alex and I have concussions."

Alex blinked. "Why?"

"Uhh," Maggie began, wincing at the memory. "I saw you fall. We were holding hands and then the building was exploding behind us, I was scrambling to get closer to you both, then that pillar crumbled in front of me and I froze just to see the debris knock Kara in the head. And you, you were falling. I could see it. I could feel it." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I was so scared, Ally. I dove, rolled, got knocked in the head regardless, and I woke up and saw you and just knew I wanted to be yours forever." Now her eyes were twinkling. "Life is too short, right? We should be who we are, and we should marry the girls we wanna marry..."

"And I really wanna marry you, Maggie Sawyer," Alex finished for her.

Maggie brimmed with gratitude. Alex brimmed with hope. Kara could barely tell who pulled whom in quicker, who hugged whom the hardest. She watched them, grinning from ear to ear, and then blushed and glanced at the floor briefly when their lips met.

Her amazing, badass, beautiful big sister. Her astonishing, badass, tiny sister-in-law.

And then Kara gasped with excitement. "I'm official Little _Sister_ Danvers now! Right Maggie? I mean - is that - wow."

Maggie grinned at her. "Wow what, Official Little Sister Danvers?"

Kara beamed and meant to giggle but started crying instead. When both Alex and Maggie instantly reached out to comfort her, she just nudged them away and rolled her eyes. "Stop that, I'm crying because, agh. Because, I - you're brilliant, Maggie, and you make my brilliant sister so happy and I can't believe I get to have the best sisters in the world."

"Well... Super _girl_... super _sisters_..." Maggie trailed off, still grinning.

Alex shook her head. " _Wow_ , Sawyer. You definitely hit your head on something."

"Yeah. Pretty sure it was a small chunk of heavy lighting equipment."

"So _that's_ how you got your lights knocked out!" Kara joked quickly, and then pressed her lips together. "Sorry. Um. MARRIED oh my goodness. Okay. Great. We're all okay, you two are injured humans, let's do this efficiently since I still feel less than a hundred and don't want there to be even a chance of you newly engaged lesbians making out midair. Maggie, you okay to go first? I will fly you - _slowly_ \- to the DEO, and then it'll be two minutes and then Alex will be there too."

Maggie tilted her head to the side. "I never thought I'd hear you put "fly" and "slow" in the same sentence."

"Yeah okay Detective Smartass, let's go."

"Detective Smartass - I like it!" Maggie mouthed at Alex with a wink before she and Kara took off. Alex just gave her a wide-eyed smile, still spinning and reeling with love.

When Kara returned exactly two minutes and twelve seconds later, Alex was in almost the same exact spot, her eyes glued to her phone. Kara paused for two seconds to look at her, listen for her, and she smiled. She still heard that beautiful heartbeat.

"First off, holy shit what a day. Secondly, how does your phone still work when the screen looks like that? Thirdly... Alex. Are you staring at a picture of Maggie right now?"

"Yeah," Alex replied. "I'm happy."

Kara bit her lip, squared her jaw, scrunched up her nose, and still couldn't keep from crying. "Oh, Al. You deserve it. You two are so good to each other." She paused. "And she knows you're not for trifling with."

"Well... she also knows who she'd have to reckon with if she tried," Alex said. "But, yeah. She's _soooooo_ gay for me. It's so great."

"Wow, who knew you could sound cheesier than me?"

"Oh, Kar. You don't know the _half_ of it."

* * *

 _Coming up next..._

She gave Kara that unreadable look again before smiling in earnest. "Let's raincheck for Thursday after work, then?"

"That's perfect! And I'm glad to hear you could clear up a little of your schedule. I thought this week was especially crazy - up to the neck in bureaucratic incompetence, as you said?"

"Well, managing a company usually means managing some level of bureaucratic incompetence. And sometimes it's my own incompetence, at that." She smiled softly, and Kara mirrored her, thinking to herself that incompetence was the last thing she'd expect from Lena Luthor.

"Besides, there is obviously much to discuss. For example, this picture you sent me of that darling hunk eating waffles with you in bed - Mike, right? - now come on, Kara, you can't make me so jealous at some boring trustee meeting."

Kara's jaw hardened. "What picture?"

Lena furrowed her brow, noting the reporter's sudden tension. "Ah... Here, this one - you sent it on Sunday, mid-noon."

Kara took the phone from Lena's hands, careful not to crush it. She stared at what appeared to be Mon-El, the usual cheeky grin on his face, smearing whipped cream on his own nose. She was curled next to him in the photo, also grinning. The angle of the photo made it look like a selfie. Kara frowned deeply, seeing that they were both somewhat exposed - Mon-El with his bare chest and left leg free from the sheets, and Kara's breasts highlighted by a semi-translucent black polka dot cutoff she usually wore after sex.

All of a sudden she felt horribly sick.

"I did have brunch in bed with Mike on Sunday," she said slowly. "And I remember that exact moment. But I didn't take that picture, Lena."

 ** _BUM-BUM-BUM..._ _; )_**  
~ M


	3. a necessary social call

This chapter has the beginnings of a Lena/Kara storyline which I will continue intermittently throughout the fic. It's quite unrequited at the moment, very onesided Lena Luthor crushing hard on both Kara and Supergirl. Lena/Kara is not my fave pairing per se, but they are compatible! So we'll see how Kara deals when she realizes "o shit ok maybe I have multiple feelings for multiple people now...?!" because that's something that recurs here.

And don't worry... even if this one doesn't center on them, Sanvers is still in every chapter (:

* * *

Chapter 3

 _Tuesday, 8:22pm, local alien-friendly dive bar_

"I'm just saying, your sister has a point."

Alex turned to witness Kara beaming drunkenly at Maggie, giving her a big thumbs up and pointing her tongue out at her big sister.

"Oh, and she makes that point so eloquently, doesn't she?"

Maggie snorted, then grumbled. Alex giggled, a small hiccup noise erupting from her mouth, which was also followed by a grumble. Their eyes met, buzzed, flushed, over the pool table.

"Aww you _guys_ , you both make cute noises and get embarrassed about it in front of each other! That's hilarious!" Kara smirked.

Alex huffed and twisted backwards over her cue, attempting a fancy shot at Maggie's striped green fourteen. The white ball grazed past it, knocking ever so slightly into the far right hand corner.

Maggie chuckled and snatched the cue out of her girlfriend's hands. "You think you're just gonna get your way by showing off, huh Danvers?"

"That was the plan, shorty," Alex replied with a shit-eating grin. Maggie snarled in response, and Kara's eyes widened at the relative enjoyment she and Alex seemed to get out of threatening each other.

"Uh, I can't tell if you two are fighting or not."

Maggie smiled. Her eyes were just a little darker, her smile a little... devilish. She raised her eyebrows very subtly, before taking a perfect shot at Alex's red three and following it with a long-shot at the purple four and orange five. The balls rolled into place, last one just stopping short of the basket.

Alex groaned, and Maggie laughed."What, babygirl, sick of counting all the ways I've got you beat?"

"Don't worry, you'll be doing some counting later on too," the DEO agent murmured to her as she flipped the cue around to her side of the table. Her girlfriend blushed. And Kara groaned.

"Okay, um, I don't think you need any more help from me, Maggie. I'm gonna, uh, stop procrastinating on my article now." She frowned at the lovebirds, muttering to herself in Kryptonian, and wandered off to the bar for another red wine.

* * *

 _Same day, 9:45pm, L-Corp, Office of the CEO_

Lena hummed absentmindedly over a lukewarm cup of earl grey tea. It was past time for her to finish up on her projects for the day, but she had been having such trouble concentrating. At one point her computer couldn't open an important file, and she had such trouble thinking through the steps to make it accessible that she forgot to utilize the copy she kept on her personal laptop.

She frowned into her cuppa, wishing for a less steely resolve that would permit her to reach into her bottom drawer for a snifter of the Old Admiral. She kept her brandy stash well-hidden from temptation. Unlike her brother, she had inherited her father's love for the musty, spicy flavor. A little brandy and Lena would relax - quite a bit of brandy, and Lena would sing. She found that once she started drinking, it was a bit difficult to stop, so she refrained most days from even the smallest indulgence.

She sighed deeply before reaching down for the bottle and pouring around 3 ounces into a beautiful ceramic snifter, which a former lover had made her in college. Turning to the Old Admiral at the end of a long, low day always reminded her of the bitter way that relationship ended. The girl was using her for her money, and wasn't intelligent enough to get away with it. She wasn't sure what peeved her more: falling for the gorgeous bitch because she was a bitch, or falling for the gorgeous bitch for her good wit, when it turned out she wasn't quite that witty.

 _'God, I kind of sound like Mother.'_

Lena's expression hardened and she swung back the stiff drink. A harsh two ounces burned down her throat. "Not that Mother would dream of me being so abnormal as to date other women," she muttered darkly to herself. "God forbid my sexuality exist on a spectrum outside her domain and control!"

Lena chuckled. She did not monologue on her own quite like this. She did talk to herself while she worked - almost constantly, as was pointed out by Jess, Kara, Jack, and other personal friends and trusted coworkers. But to wax bitter about her family life to herself on a late Tuesday night? No, Lena was very rarely one for that, and even less so in her place of work.

Reception called in: "Miss Luthor, Kara Danvers is here to see you."

"Oh?" Lena smiled softly at Jess's voice. Her assistant spent far too much time in this building. "Let her in, would you, Jess, and then please head home. Or out for a bite or a pint, I don't really care, but you certainly aren't staying here another minute."

"Well, I do need a two minutes to wrap up my things, but - thanks, Lena." Jess buzzed Ms. Danvers in, giving her a warm smile, and then tied her hair up and did a quick check on her lipstick. Her fiance was flying in tonight, and she had a pleasant surprise for him when they reunited.

Meanwhile, Lena hurriedly smoothed out her skirt, wincing at the low cut. It was a foggy, warmish evening, and after her last meeting ended at 6pm, she just wanted something a bit cooler to wear while she got her takeout. Unfortunately, with her white blouse and black pencil skirt, she was swaying on the side of seduction, something that did complicate seeing her favorite reporter past ten o'clock.

Then again, Kara was the one making the social call.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kara opened the door, looking a little flustered. Lena smiled at her, beckoning to the comfy chair astride her desk. "Well, what's the occasion?"

Kara smiled back. "Hi, Lena, I'm sorry I'm dropping in late and unannounced. I, um, I just had a feeling you'd be here."

"No apologies necessary, you can drop by whenever. I feel you have a good sense as to when I'll be less occupied." She gave Kara a look she hoped was unreadable, wanting the younger woman to get closer.

And she did.

"Well, I'm actually asking something I could have asked over text, and I'm... just realizing that now." Kara rolled her eyes at herself. This was going smoothly. "I can't make dinner tomorrow. It's, uh, well, actually my sister and her girlfriend just got engaged, and they both work so often, being law enforcers and all, so the best time to do a celebration thing for them would be tomorrow. I get one shot at a clear schedule, and I don't want to mess it up." Kara paused for a breath. "So, yeah. I'm sorry, I really could have done all of this with a call or text."

"Alex and... Maggie... Sawyer, right?" Lena grinned, something rare and, Kara thought distantly, really quite beautiful. "Oh, that's wonderful to hear. Give them both a congrats for me, will you?"

"Of course! Wow, Lena, we really need to catch up. I can't believe I haven't even told you about this, you're one of my best friends."

Lena let the sound of that echo in her head for a while, fully aware of her shy smile and unable to stop it from happening, embarrassing as it was. One of Kara Danvers' best friends? Yes, she did rather like that.

She did not know what to do with how much she liked that, so she gave Kara another unreadable look. "Let's just raincheck for Friday after work, then? I am set on having my current research project complete by the end of this work week."

"That's perfect! And I'm glad to hear you can clear up a little of your meeting schedule to do some of the sciency stuff you like. I thought this week was especially crazy - up to the neck in bureaucratic incompetence, as you said?"

"Well, managing a company usually means managing some level of bureaucratic incompetence. And sometimes it's my own incompetence, at that." She smiled softly, and Kara mirrored her, thinking to herself that incompetence was the last thing she'd expect from Lena Luthor.

"Besides, there is obviously much to discuss. For example, this picture you sent me of that darling hunk eating waffles with you in bed - Mike, right? - now come on, Kara, you can't make me so jealous at some boring trustee meeting."

Kara's jaw hardened. "What picture?"

Lena furrowed her brow, noting the reporter's sudden tension. "Ah... Here, this one - you sent it on Sunday, mid-noon."

Kara took the phone from Lena's hands, careful not to crush it. She stared at what appeared to be Mon-El, the usual cheeky grin on his face, smearing whipped cream on his own nose. She was curled next to him in the photo, also grinning. The angle of the photo made it look like a selfie. Kara frowned deeply when she saw that they were both fairly exposed – barechested Mon-El with his left leg free disentangled from the sheets, and Kara's posture suggestive, her breasts highlighted by a semi-translucent black polka dot cutoff she usually wore after sex.

All of a sudden she felt horribly sick.

"I did have brunch in bed with Mike on Sunday," she said slowly. "And I remember that exact moment. But I didn't take that picture, Lena."

Lena's frown matched her own. "And Mike wouldn't have taken the photo and sent it through your phone?"

"What? Hah, he wouldn't dream of it. Besides, that boy isn't getting my passcode anytime soon."

Lena nodded. "It's really best to never give out personal codes to lovers. I advise against it until you have something of an... unshakeable trust. Which I've never quite attained, in my romantic relationships."

"Yeah, I see Maggie typing into Alex's phone sometimes and I know they're like more in love than I've ever been with anyone, but it's just confusing to me, to actually willingly give that information up." Kara shrugged. "I'll take your advice on that one for now." She sighed deeply. "But none of this changes the fact that this picture exists, and was sent from my number to your phone."

"It's also, well..." Lena trailed off. "Forgive me for saying this, I don't mean to be rude, but it's quite revealing. You're both in compromising positions." Kara watched as Lena's lip curled in disgust. "Whoever did this is really despicable. I mean, this is a private, peaceful moment, and that should never be taken away from you."

"Who could have done this? I mean, I guess I need to - yeah." Kara broke off unsuredly. "You know, actually, I'll just take this directly to Alex and Maggie. They have the gadgets to find out if someone is just hacking me, or if it's something more."

"I'm sure they'll be of help," Lena agreed. "But Kara, please be careful. Stalkers can be insidious. If it's someone playing more than just a joke..."

Kara gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Mike's got my back, and so does my sister. And if I need help from someone else with the gadgets and the know-how... I think I know who to call."

Lena nodded. Paused thoughtfully. "Are you a brandy woman?"

"Brandi Carlisle? Hell yeah, I know three of her albums by heart. You?"

Lena looked startled, and then a few peals of laughter escaped her. "Oh, not the singer-songwriter. The drink." She motioned to the snifter. "Old Admiral. Indian brandy. Very, very fine. You could top that off, if you'd like a taste." She paused. "I don't know, this situation is certainly something I'd have a drink to."

"Oh, I really don't drink often - I'll have two glasses of red wine on a Tuesday or Saturday and that's about it for me."

"Well, have you had your two glasses today yet?"

Kara smiled. "Today I've had three. You can tell, because my cheeks are a little flushed. But you know what? I'm gonna guess that I'm not a brandy woman, but I'll try any liquor you keep in your office." She paused. "And I'll get a little buzz, which I am not opposed to at the moment."

She threw back the remains of the snifter and winced instantly, grabbing her throat. Lena chuckled wryly and offered her a handkerchief.

"Uh... that's a bold, uh, flavor."

"Pretty spicy, no?"

Kara nodded her assent, her expression slightly disgusted. "I think I'll stick to my Merlots, thank you very much."

"Well, at least you have a buzz now."

"Yes," Kara agreed, "at least there's that." She nodded, holding Lena's gaze for a few moments before gathering her things. "Well. I'm off to deal with this problem, I guess. Thank you for your advice, Lena. I'm glad I made this unnecessary social call."

"Oh, please, think of them as necessary from now on, Kara. You are fast becoming my favorite person to talk to."

Kara left L-Corp with a smile on her face, shooting a text to Alex:

GONNA B AT DEO T-2MIN. NEED HELP W SOMETHING. LMK WHEN U + MAGS STOP MAKING OUT AND GET THIS MSG (-;

And for some reason, even though she might or might not have an invisible stalker, Kara was beaming at least half the way to the DEO.

* * *

Side note: I know my characters drink a lot, it's finals right now and I'm drinking quite a bit and trying to keep myself aware of it, and writing it into my stories is a good way to keep myself on top of my habits. (I'd really appreciate if the show ever did something with Alex and / or Maggie drinking to cope - they've alluded to Alex's alcoholism a few times, and Maggie did have that cute-but-also-self-aware line about going to a bar when the going gets rough. I think I want more of that - it's such a common thing for one of their characters to have a drink in their hand any time of the day or night.)

Even less important side note: Sorry if I'm wrong about the taste of Old Admiral. I might be remembering incorrectly, but I tasted a brandy once that was quite spicy and dry and I thought it had Admiral in the name, but if I'm dead wrong just ignore it. I won't claim to know anything about brandy aside from it tasting great.

Next chapter continues this storyline, plus Sanvers smut. I'll change the rating before I upload it on Thurs.  
~ M


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